


I should tell you

by deansangel_cas97



Category: NCIS
Genre: Happy Ending, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-20
Updated: 2019-06-20
Packaged: 2020-05-15 05:17:02
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,318
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19288924
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deansangel_cas97/pseuds/deansangel_cas97
Summary: "I should have told him." Tony didn't mean for it to slip out. His energy level is now affecting his mouth.Ziva rolled her head to look at him, a tired but puzzled look on her features. "Told who what?"





	I should tell you

The elevator was hot. They had lost the energy to fight hours ago. Some of Ziva's words kept running through his head. They could all be dead. Any one of them could be dead. Gibbs. Vance. Abby. Tim. 

Oh god. Tim could be dead. "I should have told him." Tony didn't mean for it to slip out. His energy level is now affecting his mouth. 

Ziva rolled her head to look at him, a tired but puzzled look on her features. "Told who what?" 

Tony shook his head. "Nothing. I shouldn't have said it out loud."

Ziva chuckled exhaustedly, "We may not get out of here. No need for secrets now, Tony."

Tony rubbed his forehead and sighed. He knew she was right. "Tim." The name was barely above a whisper. 

Ziva nodded. The silence stretched between them.

Then, they were free. Rescued. Alive. 

He was face to face with his boss. His very alive boss. He looked around at the destruction. He saw no bodies, he wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not. 

He wanted to ask Gibbs. He really did, but the words wouldn't come. He was afraid of the answer. 

Ziva beat him to it. "McGee?" 

Gibbs replied with a short, "Hospital." 

Tony was able to breathe again. Hospital, not morgue. Breathe. 

They were sent to get checked out at the hospital Tony didn't object as he normally would. Ziva did. Ziva was strong. Ziva was fine. Tony was falling apart.

He was given the green light by the ER doctor and he immediately found the nearest nurse. "Tim McGee's room?"

She gave him a look, "And you are?"

"His partner." Tony's words were instinctive. 

Her face softened, and she gave him the room number. 

Tony ran down the hall. He didn't care who saw. He had to see McGee. 

Tim was laying in the bed, bandages visibly wrapped around his midriff. Tony took a deep, shuttered breath. 

"Hey, Tony." Tim was relieved to see the other man. Until this exact moment they both thought the other could be dead. 

Tony made his way around the bed and collapsed in the chair by the window. Neither man could take their eyes off of the other. 

Tony's gaze moved to the bandages. "You okay?" 

Tim shrugged stiffly, "A piece of glass. It didn't hit anything important, I'll be fine. You?" 

Tony smirked, "I'll be taking the stairs for a while, but yeah." 

They sat in silence for a while, until Tony's phone rang. Gibbs wanted to know what the doctor had said. Tony relayed what he could remember. Even through the phone Tony could tell Gibbs nodded. "Good. Get back here. We need help." 

Tony hung up the phone. Tim was smiling just a little, "Go. I'm fine." 

Tony nodded and stood, "Call if you need anything. We aren't a team without our McGeek." 

The next few days felt like years. They set up a temporary office. They chased the monster who disrupted their lives and took so many others. The team worked. Minus one. Tony wasn't the only one to notice the absence, it was like the phantom limb syndrome he had heard amputees suffer from. One of them would turn to talk to McGee, only to realize too late he wasn't there. 

It went like this until almost a month later when Tim's doctor released him for "light duty" which meant desk duty. The team was whole again. Ziva hugged McGee, careful not to squeeze too tight. Gibbs smiled and nodded, "Good to have you back, Tim."

Tony's emotions were all fighting for dominance. Fear and happiness were dueling it out the most. Fear that his team mate was back too soon and it would slow his recovery, happy that his friend was alive and getting better and able to help with the temporary computer set up that refused to work properly. 

Tim smiled at him. Tony returned with his own,

Being back in his normal routine seemed to help Tim more than hurt him. In almost no time at all he was back to full duty with his gun on his hip again. 

Then they were able to get back to work in the squad room in the building they were used to. 

Their routine was back. Their banter was back. They were back. 

Ziva watched her teammates relationship more closely than she had before Tony's revelation. Tim felt the same way Tony did, it was easy to see. 

She pulled Tony aside one evening, "Tony, you need to tell him." 

Tony knew what and who she meant. He shook his head. 

She grabbed his arms with a firm grip, "We almost died." She watched how her words affected the man. "He almost died." 

Tony closed his eyes to keep her from seeing his pain. 

"We have a dangerous job, but that doesn't take away our right to be happy. Talk to him." She released her grip and moved away. 

Tony breathed letting her words sink in. She was right. He had to talk to Tim. 

Tony thought about how to tell his partner how he felt all week. Ziva threw his looks everyday asking with her eyes if he had taken her advise yet. He always shook his head and broke eye contact. 

Finally, Saturday night he drove to McGee's apartment and knocked. His mind was racing, why was he here? Could he do this?

Then the door opened. Tim stood on the other side. His t-shirt and sweatpants matched his ruffled hair. The sight of domestic Tim made Tony's heart swell, and he remembered why he was here. 

"Tony? Did I miss a call out?" Tim moved from the door to get his work cell. He looked at it puzzled. 

Tony stepped into the apartment and closed the door, "No, I - um I wanted to tell you something."

The other man moved to the couch, "Oh? What's that?" 

Tony followed his lead and sat down. He took a deep breath, trying to figure out where to start. "After the explosion, I thought Ziva and I were going to die." 

Tim looked startled and confused all at once. Tony didn't let it stop him. "We were talking, because there wasn't anything else to do, and Ziva said something that shut me up." 

Tim snorted, "I wish I knew that trick."

Tony's lip curled up at the corner. He continued, "She said 'What if they are all dead.'" 

Tim's face fell.

"I - well it stopped me. I couldn't stand the thought of losing anyone. It suddenly hit me that there were so many things I'd never said to any of you." 

Tim couldn't tear his eyes from Tony's somber face. Tony was fidgeting with his hands nervously. "I'd never told Abby how much she was truly the little sister I never knew I wanted. I never told Gibbs that I admire how he has lead his life having lived through so much loss." 

Tony took another deep breath and brought his eyes up to meet Tim's. "And I'd never told you that I loved you. That I do love you." 

Tim starred, slack jawed. Tony waited. He had just dropped an atom bomb, and as much as he wanted to run away from the explosion he would have to deal with the aftermath one way or another, so he may as well stay. 

Tim's brain was stuttering. His body moved before his brain was finished processing. Suddenly he was kissing Tony, hard. 

Tony melted into the other man. His hands found their way into Tim's hair. 

His brain finally caught up and Tim broke the kiss. "You love me?" 

Tony chuckled, he pressed a kiss to the nose still centimeters from his. "Yes I do. A lot." 

Tim's whole face grinned, "Me too." 

They kissed again, grinning the whole time. 

Monday morning, when Ziva's eyes questioned, Tony smiled and nodded.


End file.
